In the world of Jowee Omicil, there are African rhythms, Bach and Mozart melodies, echoes of Thelonious Monk, a Venezuelan lullaby, Martinican songs, flavors of the Middle East and even Asia, the memory of an Englishman in New York, Haitian rara, Jamaican beats, bursts of Miles Davis funk, the ecstasy of gospel, a rapper’s verve, and of course the “omicilian” exclamation of “BaSH!” All of which is beautifully mixed together. On stage, the voluble Jowee is an entertainer, a lover of melodies, groove, and popular music. Whatever label you want to put on him—it’s not even worth trying, it won’t stick. To choose the pieces in Love Matters!, he allowed himself to return to Haiti, its language, its carnival rhythms, his roots. Then he enlarged the circle to the Caribbean and its African legacy. Then jazz, pop, classical composers, and we’ve come full circle.

Corinne Serres